CBS exec defends 'Minds' cast changes

AJ Cook was controversially dropped from the show this season, while Paget Brewster's role was reduced.

According to E! Online, Tassler suggested that the changes were made because of the upcoming Criminal Minds spinoff Suspect Behavior.

"I wouldn't say that it was just budget reasons," she said. "I would say that over the past couple of years a lot of shows have taken a look at adjusting their casts... in this case one of the factors was we [are] building a spinoff and we had Suspect Behavior.

"We looked at sort of the evolution of the franchise; this division of the FBI - how they actually did their jobs... and that did give us an opportunity to reflect that back on the design and the structure of the team on Criminal Minds."

She continued: "There were discussions about what role did AJ play, what role did Paget play - is there an opportunity here with the spinoff to look back at the original show? How did we feel about that brand? How could we evolve the roles of the agents in the original show?"

Tassler also insisted that Brewster is still welcome on the show but added that discussions about cast members happen in every series.

"We hope Paget stays with the show. She has the option to stay and we would like her to continue on with the show," she said. "But I can tell you that across the board there are discussions about cast members changing - in fact it's more often than is necessarily shared by the press. It's the nature of the evolution of any show."

Criminal Minds star Kirsten Vangsness recently admitted that she "hates" the cast changes on the show.